Rafinha spent the second half of last season on loan at Inter Milan, with an option to make the deal permanent for around £30 million should they secure Champions League football, which Luciano Spalletti’s side did in dramatic fashion via a 3-2 final day win at Lazio.

And this is music to the ears of Barcelona. Rafinha, brother of former Barca star and current Bayern Munich play-maker Thiago, is not in Ernesto Valverde’s plans at the Camp Nou and Sport believe that the Catalan giants could try to use him to take advantage of their interest in Christian Eriksen.

Nonetheless, it seems unlikely that Tottenham would play ball. As talented as Rafinha is, he is still a long way short of Eriksen, who has developed an ability in the last year or so to influence and win games at the highest level.

Danny Owen

Daniel is a Journalist graduate from Leeds Trinity University and is generally obsessed with everything football related. Daniel watches everything from Augsburg in the Bundesliga to Vitesse in the Eredivisie with as much La Liga as possible thrown in for good measure.